Joco Today

Representative Sharice Davids visited the Johnson County Regional Police Academy, where she joined current trainees in learning certain skills needed to keep our communities safe. The Police Academy, located on Johnson County Community College’s campus, was established to provide basic law enforcement training for newly hired officers from 18 police agencies in Johnson County.

“Training alongside the Johnson County Regional Police Academy students today was unlike anything I’ve done since coming to Congress,” said Davids. “I was reminded of the hard work and determination needed to succeed both as a recruit at the Academy and as an officer in the field. The folks I spoke with today will help keep our community safe and secure for many years to come, and I’m thankful I got to learn from them.”

“Johnson County Community College is proud to welcome Rep. Davids to our Regional Police Academy,” said Sonta Wilburn, Director, Johnson County Regional Police Academy. “Our facility works with 18 police agencies in Johnson Country to provide basic law enforcement training for newly hired officers. We operate in cooperation with the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and the Johnson County Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association. We celebrated our 138th graduating class last month and appreciate the Congresswoman’s time to visit the Academy and understand the important role we play in the community.”

While at the Police Academy, Davids joined the recruits in learning tactical care skills used when an officer is the first to arrive on a scene. Specifically, Davids and the recruits learned to performed CPR and apply tourniquets to provide aid to themselves, other officers, and injured civilians. Davids also operated the firearm simulator, which helps train law enforcement to respond in controlled manner when using a firearm or other deadly force.

Johnson County Regional Police Academy recruits must first be employed as police officers by one of the 18 police agencies in Johnson County. While at the academy, theyreceive their basic law enforcement training, which is required by State law to take place within one year of being hired. Successful completion of the 18-week academy results in certification as a Kansas law enforcement officer. The academy is operated in cooperation with the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, Johnson County Community College, and the Johnson County Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association.

This past May, during National Police Week, Davids took official action to boost resources for local law enforcement departments, reduce gun violence in Kansas, and support individual officers. The package of eight bills includes bipartisan legislation to improve care for officers coping with job-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eliminate backlogs of untested DNA samples, and crack down and schedule xylazine, the highly dangerous sedative causing fatal overdoses nationwide. It also strengthens background check requirements for those handling firearms.

Since being sworn in, Davids has worked to provide Kansas law enforcement officers with the tools needed to keep communities safe. She secured funding for the Olathe Police Department’s Mobile Command Unit and announced federal resources to hire additional law enforcement in Wyandotte County and improve mental health services in Overland Park. She previously voted for historic, bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation to keep Kansans safe and a bill giving officers access to disability benefits for job-related PTSD.

Davids, a member of the bipartisan Fentanyl Prevention Caucus, has also hosted multiple summits with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials on combatting the growing threat of fentanyl, the number one cause of overdose death in the United States. In direct response to these conversations, Davids took legislative action to ensure Kansas law enforcement officers have the necessary tools to fight the fentanyl epidemic head-on.

Original source can be found here.